A case taken by ten members of a Traveller family against the Bishop of Galway alleging they were discriminated against at a First Communion Mass has been dismissed by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
The Sherlock family claimed they were discriminated against by the then Bishop of Galway, Dr Martin Drennan, when they were excluded from a Communion Mass at Galway Cathedral on 23 May 2015. The family said female members were discriminated against over their clothes, which were deemed inappropriate by the Church.
They said they were targeted and asked to leave because of the length of the dresses and skirts worn by female members of the family and because of the neckline of their garments. The family also alleged that the dress code was not applied to other non-Traveller members of the congregation.
However, the legal team for Bishop Martin Drennan, who retired as bishop of Galway in July 2016, rejected the allegations that he had discriminated against the women on grounds of gender, race and their membership of the Traveller community under Section 21 of the Equal Status Act 2000.
The Sherlock family also argued that the Catholic Church, as the provider of a service, was prevented by the Equal Status Act from permitting discrimination to occur.
However, the Workplace Relations Commission agreed with Bishop Drennan’s legal team that a Holy Communion Mass provided by the Church, as a religious service, did not constitute a service within the meaning of the legislation.
The WRC adjudicator ruled that it had no legal authority to adjudicate on the Sherlocks’ complaints as religious services or sacraments did not come within the ambit of the legislation, otherwise it would be unlawful for churches to refuse the sacrament of matrimony to persons who were divorced or of the same sex, or similarly to only ordain men as priests.
Loading ...
